Happy Canada Day!! Canada Day is their equivalent of our 4th of July, a national holiday where the country celebrates with fireworks. Yes, I am from the US, but I have a fond admiration for all things Canadian. After all, the country has a lot to offer. Like Ryan Reynolds. See? Now you love Canada too.

Although I have always been a fan of Canadian actors and maple syrup, my true love of Canada hit its peak this year during the Dallas International Film Festival. If there’s one thing I love more than food, it’s movies. (Last year I watched 151 movies I had never seen before.) I write film reviews for Examiner.com and was invited to not only watch all the movies being presented as part of the press, but to interview any of the filmmakers I wanted. The first red carpet event that I did, I met the writer/director of a short film called Broken Heart Syndrome, Dusty Mancinelli. Hours later I ended up standing behind him in line for a midnight screening of a zombie film called Buck Wild when I overheard him talking to someone about how hard it is to make films if you are from Canada. When I audibly laughed, they turned and he recognized me from before. We started up a conversation about all the good things from Canada… which ultimately led to them trying to convince me to go back with them so I could help them win at trivia nights.

Dusty’s friend turned out to be another filmmaker who persuaded me into seeing his film, which I absolutely fell in love with. Luckily, you’ll get a chance to fall in love with it too because actor Kevin Smith (also Canadian) picked up The Dirties and will help distribute it later on this year. Because of my random introduction to these two kind strangers, I became intrigued by Canadian culture. I found new bands to listen to — and got to talk to other famed stars like Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg from This Is The End–, but also discovered things I already love that I did not realize have Canadian roots. My favorite? Peanut butter.

The peanut butter everyone adores today traces back to a patent given to a man in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1884. So when I discovered my second favorite country’s national holiday, I decided we should all celebrate with a peanut butter cookie. These bite-sized cookies have dark brown sugar and oats, which make them unique and addictive. This will be a Canada Day treat you won’t soon forget.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

What You Need:

2 sticks butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 cups flour

3 cups oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 cup creamy peanut butter

What To Do:
1. Heat oven to 375 F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Add in eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour, baking soda, salt, oats, and water until batter is smooth and creamy.